DCFoodies.comtag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-164482015-07-14T23:27:10-04:00The Politics of Dining and CookingTypePadMaryland Browniestag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8345244ce69e201b8d138226d970c2015-07-14T23:27:10-04:002015-07-14T23:44:18-04:00I'm writing this post while I'm sitting on the runway, waiting for a flight route to open to Chicago. And what else do you do when you're stuck in a plane for an hour without beer, wine or whiskey? Write about brownies of course! There's a brownie recipe Amy and I make a lot. It's super easy and only requires one bowl. It's called "Best Cocoa Brownies". And. It. Is. THE. BEST. I never imagined I could improve on this recipe. Then one day we were at the Beer, Bacon and Barbecue festival in Timonium and we came across this...JasonSalmon with Lentils and Mustard Herb Butter, or What I Call, Butter Up Your Wife Salmontag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8345244ce69e201bb08309559970d2015-05-19T10:16:25-04:002015-05-19T10:16:25-04:00Salmon is one of the easiest and most versatile fish to prepare. You can fry it, grill it or smoke it, and it's pretty hard to ruin it. Of course, there's always a danger of overcooking it, but even then, if you use the right technique it's going to come out pretty good. I've been making this salmon recipe from Epicurious about once a month for the last two years. It's "healthy," at least from my perspective since it's fairly low carb and high in protein, and it's been a go-to recipe of ours since we started eating healthier. For...JasonCinnamon Banana Chocolate Chip Mini-Muffinstag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8345244ce69e201bb07e1e7d1970d2015-01-26T09:18:22-05:002015-01-26T09:18:22-05:00I'll preface this with the fact that I suck at baking. All of the things that make someone a good cook always prove to be the ruin of any aspiring baker. When I'm cooking a recipe and I'm missing something, I just improvise and use something else we have instead. But with baking, YOU CAN'T FUCKING DO THAT...and it drives me nuts. I hate working within boundaries -- I want to experiment, goddamn it! But baking is all chemistry, and you can't substitute white sugar for brown sugar and expect everything to come out the same. Science is a motherfucking...JasonJason and Juliatag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8345244ce69e201b8d0ba174b970c2015-01-07T15:06:46-05:002015-01-07T15:06:46-05:00About a three weeks ago, Amy and I were sitting on the couch trying to figure out what we were going to make for dinner on Christmas Day and I was a little stumped. I didn't want to go through a huge ordeal with cooking Christmas dinner like last year with the porchetta we made. To keep things on the simpler side, boeuf bourguignon ended up being the dish of choice. I don’t know why I like this dish so much. But it’s probably because I like any dish where meat is seared in bacon fat. Once we decided to...JasonIt's ALIIIIIIVE!tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8345244ce69e201bb07cc665d970d2015-01-05T11:00:00-05:002015-01-04T21:32:49-05:00Yes, it's happening! I'm bringing this site back from the dead almost 3 years from the last time anyone posted. I thought I was done with DCFoodies and came very close to shutting it down completely, but there's just something about the holidays and cooking that really made me miss sharing my experiences in the kitchen with everyone. Rather than writing about restaurants, which Amy and I almost never go to anymore (at least not new ones anyway), this blog will be focused on cooking and baking. That's what I spend most of my free time doing and besides, we...JasonCooking with Truffles: Valentine’s Vegetarian Menutag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8345244ce69e20167622045ac970b2012-02-13T09:37:12-05:002012-02-13T09:37:12-05:00For any foodie on a mission to maximize his or her eating pleasure, Valentine’s Day presents a special challenge. The perennial question is, How do you hit a new high and top last year’s memory? Truffles are often overlooked as the star attraction of a home-cooked meal because of their price tag. Back in the day, Brillat-Saverin described them as "the luxury of grands seigneurs and kept women" (also, perhaps, hinting at their aphrodisiac qualities). In all honesty, those qualities have yet to be scientifically confirmed, but I don't think anybody would deny the sensuousness of any truffle-specked dish… The...Natasha ShulininaMagic Moments 101tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8345244ce69e20168e626fa55970c2012-02-01T12:20:12-05:002012-02-01T12:20:12-05:00As a follow-up to the prior "theoretical" part, I want to give you four simple ideas for a food and wine tasting that demonstrate acidity in action. We are going for similarity (Tart + Tart = Pavlovian response), or opposition (as in “opposites attract” -- like buttery luxurious cheese and intense, vervy and highly acidic Champagne). Besides being perfect tools for "wine ed", these yummy appetizers are great for entertaining. So if you are not a wine guy/gal, you can still enjoy the canapes! Sauvignon Blanc and goat cheese Simple but brilliant! The quickest "party trick" for this pairing involves...Natasha ShulininaHello! My Name Is Pinot Noirtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8345244ce69e2016760c2ba05970b2012-01-20T12:05:46-05:002012-01-26T21:45:38-05:00If your New Year’s Resolution is to be a little bit less afraid of wine, this post is for you. You should also keep reading if you are stuck in a rut, afraid of leaving your cozy oenophilic comfort zone. Do you always find yourself asking for a glass of California Cab (or Zinfandel, or Pinot Grigio - insert your default choice here)? There is an amazing world out there waiting to be explored! A big part of the fun is getting to know the grape personalities. Spicy, brooding, animalistic Syrah; juicy, fun Grenache; flowery, sensual Viognier… I am personally...Natasha ShulininaWhite Chocolate Filled Macaroons tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8345244ce69e20162fe029ad0970d2011-12-22T12:09:14-05:002012-02-01T14:38:53-05:00Thanks to the holiday season I had a massive desire to eat macaroons. I think it's due to the time when I lived in Paris. It also could be that I wanted to reward myself with macaroons after overcoming the nine circles of hell of holiday shopping. Macaroons make lovely gifts and are a good substitute for holiday cookies. They're very simple to make and only require 5 ingredients: 1 cup of confectioner's sugar 3/4 cup of almond flour 2 large egg whites 1/4 cup of superfine sugar A pinch of cream tartar For the best results remember to take...Saskia ChanoineCranberry Sauce for Grown Upstag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8345244ce69e20154372ae812970c2011-11-23T10:58:25-05:002011-11-23T10:58:26-05:00Most people probably see cranberry sauce as a simple condement. And for such a simple condement, why should you spend a lot of time making it from scratch, when you can buy it for $2 a can? Why, you ask? Because the real thing is worlds better than anything you can get out of the can. While I always liked cranberry sauce, I never felt like I could be bothered with the extra effort. The turkey, quite franky, was much more important and more worthy of my effort than some simple cranberry sauce. Boy was I wrong. Last year at...Jason